


Someone New

by Amethyst_owl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Palmer Technologies, Post-Legends S1, arrowverse, mostly canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-07-24 15:39:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7513874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_owl/pseuds/Amethyst_owl





	1. Someone New

Madelyn grabbed a fresh mug from the stack, flipping it and sliding it under the spout of the coffee machine. She turned the machine on and turned to busy herself with the next order on the pile. The queue was out the door, and it was raining heavily. To make it worse, she was one of only two baristas on shift.

_A recipe for disaster._

Her gaze swept down the line, and the customer standing beside the cake display caught her eye.

She recognised him as Doctor Raymond Palmer, the billionaire genius in charge of Palmer Technologies. He’d only recently reappeared, almost a year after his supposedly fatal accident.

Madelyn finished the order and handed it to the customer, taking another mug and starting the next. She’d often walked past PalmerTech on her way to work, watching the scientists and businesspeople as they wandered in and out.

She could have been one of them.

A PhD in Medical Nanotechnology, and she was working in a coffee shop.

Someone yelled at her, snapping Madelyn out of her bitter reverie. She turned towards the source of the noise, knocking the mug over in her haste. Boiling coffee spilled across her bare skin, scalding her arm and splashing across her shirt. She swore quietly, skittering across to the tap to run cold water over her rapidly reddening skin. The other barista scrambled to keep up with orders, her eyes wide. People were complaining, some turning and leaving. Nobody seemed to care that Madelyn was hurt, that her skin was burning and blistering.

Madelyn gripped the edge of the sink, her head spinning. There was a loud crash and a yelp from the other barista as someone vaulted the counter. She glanced back, losing her balance and falling into the arms of whoever had seemingly come to her aid.

It was Doctor Palmer, of all people.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “I’ve got you.”

“Thanks,” Madelyn croaked, attempting to cradle her injured arm.

“You’re gonna need an ambulance,” he said.

“No," she replied as firmly as she could. “No ambulances.”

“Then _I’ll_ take you to hospital, okay?”

Madelyn nodded weakly as he helped her to her feet and grabbed her bag from beneath the counter. They walked slowly to his car, and he opened the door for her. She half-fell into the car as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“What’s your name?” he asked, starting the engine and pulling out into the road.

“Madelyn Groves…” she replied. “… _Doctor_ Madelyn Groves, not that the PhD helps.”

“PhD?” he asked, impressed.

“Medical Nanotechnology,” she replied bitterly. “And I’m still working as a barista.”

They drove in silence for a while, and Ray drummed his fingers against the wheel. He glanced at the traffic ahead, then across to Madelyn. Her face was pale, and her arm seemed to be getting worse at an alarming rate.

“Hey Madelyn,” he said. “How would you feel about trying out some nanotech?”

"Sure," she muttered through gritted teeth as pain clawed across her skin.

“Then it’s settled,” Ray said, making an abrupt turn down a side road. “Getting to the hospital’s gonna take too long. I’m taking you to PalmerTech.”

*****

Ray kept tight hold of Madelyn as they made their way across to the elevators. They attracted a few stares, but nobody cared enough to try and stop them. Madelyn was quiet – worryingly so – and her eyes seemed unfocused. She began to rely on his support more and more, her legs weakening. He led her to his lab, lowering her onto the sofa in the corner. She groaned quietly.

He searched frantically through the clutter on the workbench, seizing the nanotech syringe and rushing back to Madelyn.

“Now, this is gonna feel weird,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve tried it.”

He pressed the needle into her arm, watching her face closely. A smile crept across his face as the colour returned to her cheeks. He withdrew the empty syringe and placed it on the sofa beside him. Her skin began to heal, the blisters shrinking and disappearing. The angry redness faded, leaving no trace. He couldn’t help but run his fingers across her arm, feeling nothing but soft, smooth skin beneath them.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“Better,” she said, her eyes falling to her now healed forearm, and Ray’s hand beneath hers.

“Great,” he smiled.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything I could change into, would you?” she said quietly. “My shirt’s kinda…soaked.”

Ray nodded, disappearing from the room.

She took the opportunity to look around, picking things up and playing with them.  Some were familiar to her, while others remained a mystery. She was holding one from the former category when Ray returned.

“Are these nanites?” she asked, holding up the object.

“Uh…yes,” He replied. “I was trying to work out a way to make them more efficient, but they’re not cooperating.”

“What tools are you using?” she took the PalmerTech sweatshirt he was holding, and set about unbuttoning her coffee-stained shirt.

Ray spun to face the door, shutting his eyes for good measure.

“They’re on the workbench. In the blue box.” He replied.

“Mind if I take a look at them?”

“S…sure,” he nodded. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”

“I do,” she said. “And you can turn around now. I'm decent.”

Madelyn sat cross legged on the workstool, a tool in one hand as she peered into the microscope on the desk. The sweater was a little too big for her - it was one of Ray's spare sweatshirts - and she'd pushed the sleeves up to her elbows. She worked quietly on the container, every now and then switching to a different tool. Ray watched silently as she moved from the microscope to the toolbox and back again, her emerald eyes focused and intelligent, her bottom lip absent-mindedly caught between her teeth.

“There,” she called triumphantly. “Done!”

“Really?”

Madelyn gestured to the microscope.

“Take a look.”

She stepped aside, and Ray lowered his face to the eyepiece.

“You’ve done it,” he smiled, impressed. “Whatever was wrong, you’ve fixed it!”

“Just a minor blip,” she shrugged. “Nothing too impressive.”

Ray thought for a second, and then looked up at Madelyn.

“Doctor Groves,”  he said. “Have you ever thought about a job at PalmerTech?”

 

 


	2. Fight for You

“Hey, Olivia,” Madelyn smiled, waving at the image of her sister on the video chat feed. “How’s life in Central city?”

“It’s great,” Olivia replied. “I’m still at work, in fact…Oh, How’s the new job?”

“Same,” Madelyn laughed. “And it’s great – I _love_ it…which is probably a good thing, considering they basically fired me from the coffee shop after that whole incident with the spillage…”

“Ouch…oooh, what are your colleagues like?” Olivia asked.

“You know what,” Madelyn whispered, leaning towards the screen. “My boss is, like, _supernova_ hot… And a genius… And a literal billionaire, but that doesn’t matter _at all_ , obviously…”

“ _Sure,_ Mads,” Olivia rolled her eyes. “This wouldn’t happen to be the one that was supposedly dead, would it? Doctor Palmer?”

“Olivia, what’s the name of the company I work for? Something Technologies…Oh yes, _Palmer_ Technologies…”

Olivia glared.

“Yes, it’s Doctor Palmer.”

“You really know how to pick ‘em, Madelyn…”

“Shhhhh,” she giggled. “I never said I _fancied_ him or anything!”

“Madelyn, I’ve known you for longer than you’ve known you. You _would._ ”

“I would not!”

Olivia stared at her sister over the rims of her glasses.

“Okay maybe I’ve thought about it once or twice…” she admitted. “But he vaulted a counter to help me! And he gave me the nanotech – and a _job!_ How can you not love that?”

“That’s…fair enough, actually...”

“Yeah - what’s your boss done for you?”

“Oh, he just sort of saved my life a couple times.”

“…As you do.”

A timer buzzed.

“Ah…I have to go,” Madelyn said, grimacing. Olivia waved, and the screen went black.

Madelyn shrugged her lab coat back on, turning the timer off and retrieving the nanites from the machine. She’d decided to stay late, and she took a moment to admire the bright lights of the city outside her window before returning to her project. She and Doctor Palmer had been working on a business plan together, to create nanotechnology at a price that could make it accessible for widespread use in hospitals.

If any city needed it, Star City needed it.

The city had become notorious for the attacks that seemed to happen every other day. Madelyn had found herself caught up in several, but she’d made it out alive.

Some weren’t so lucky.

He didn’t like to talk about it, but Madelyn knew that Doctor Palmer was still troubled by his own memories of the attacks. She knew that one had robbed him of his fiancée. That he’d watched her die, powerless to help.

Madelyn had met Anna Loring before, once or twice. They’d had mutual friends, somehow, and Madelyn took an instant liking to her. She was kind, and beautiful, and perfect for Doctor Palmer.

She sighed, picking up a screwdriver and returning to her work. The components scattered across her desk slowly took form in her hands. She hummed as she worked, finding herself enjoying the task far more than any day at the coffee shop. Doctor Palmer had personally overseen her introduction to the company, ensuring that she was settling in well. It came as a surprise when he chose her to help him on the nanotech project, but he assured her that she was perfect for the task.

He had more faith in her than she had in herself.

There was a muffled crash from upstairs, and the sound of smashing glass. Madelyn gripped the screwdriver even tighter, slipping out of the workshop and tiptoeing up the stairs. The noise had come from Ray’s office, and, sure enough, he was still there.

To Madelyn’s horror, he wasn’t alone.

She watched as Ray struggled to his feet, surrounded by a pool of broken glass. Blood dripped from his nose, and he clutched his side as his attacker rushed at him again. He swung a punch, but the impact did nothing to deter them.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Ray snarled, his fist crunching against the attacker’s nose. The attacker laughed, slamming his own fist into Ray’s stomach. Ray crumpled.

Madelyn kicked off her heels and ran forwards without thinking, slashing the screwdriver across the attacker’s face. The man sprawled backwards, crashing through a glass table. Someone grabbed her from behind, and she screamed, her arms and legs flailing wildly. They threw her aside, and she hit the ground hard.

“Madelyn!” Ray croaked. He tried to crawl towards her, but the punches he’d taken had knocked the air from his lungs. Madelyn got to her feet, but was knocked off balance by a punch to the cheek. Her head spun.

Somehow, she’d managed to keep hold of the screwdriver, and in a moment of clarity she raised it just as the second attacker lunged at her again. Blood splashed against her face.

The screwdriver had gone straight through the man’s hand. She yanked it back out again with a disgusted cry, and stepped back. The man turned and ran, blood dripping from his hand.

Ray had somehow managed to get to his feet and subdue the other attacker, and he glanced over to Madelyn.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, his chest heaving.

“I’m fine,” she replied, using her sleeve to wipe the blood from her face. “I’m fine.”

She knew her face would bruise, but she’d remained almost entirely unscathed. Ray, on the other hand, was white as a sheet. He swayed violently, and Madelyn lunged forwards, barely managing to cushion his fall. Working as quickly as she could, she examined his injuries. She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, her eyes sweeping over his body. She swore quietly as she reached her conclusion.

_Severe internal bleeding._

He’d never make it to the hospital.

She got to her feet.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Raymond Palmer. I’ll be right back.”

She hurtled down the stairs to her office. The newly finished nanotech syringe lay in the centre of her desk, and she grabbed it before whirling round and climbing the stairs again.

Ray was completely still.

She uncapped the syringe and dropped to her knees beside him. Her hands shook as she stabbed the needle into his side and waited.

Nothing happened.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she threw the empty syringe aside, grabbing Ray’s hand and raising it to her lips. She’d only known him for a few weeks, but he’d shown her nothing but kindness, and she’d found herself becoming quite fond of him. She didn’t want to watch him die.

“Please,” she whispered hoarsely, kissing his hand. “Don’t you dare die.”

She placed her other hand on his neck, checking for a pulse.

It was faint, almost non-existent, but she could feel Ray’s heart beating. She squeezed his hand.

“Come on, Ray,” she whispered. “You can do it.”

Several painful seconds passed.

Ray’s eyes snapped open, and he inhaled sharply. Madelyn made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob, throwing her arms around him.

“You’re okay…thank god, you’re okay...”she said. “I used the nanotech but I was so scared that it wouldn’t work and I—“

She suddenly realised what she was doing, awkwardly letting go and sitting back on her heels. Ray gingerly sat up.

“I guess that means I owe you one.”

“The fact that I’m here at PalmerTech is enough for me. You’ve done me enough favours to last me for the foreseeable future,” she said, dabbing the blood from his nose with a clean portion of her sleeve.

“It’s not quite the same though, is it?” he asked, re-buttoning his shirt. “I heal a burn, you fix my nanotech, I give you a job…you literally save my life…”

“And you never got that coffee…”

“I think I’ll have to buy us some tomorrow…we’ve earned it.”

“Should’ve made yourself one when you vaulted the counter,” she laughed. “But anyway – we should probably call SCPD and get sleeping beauty over there dealt with. And the other one, wherever he went…”

“Good plan.” 


	3. Better Together

Coffee had become a regular part of Ray and Madelyn’s day after the attack. She’d insisted on buying the first few, but Ray had taken to paying for it and bringing the coffee to her. They’d been working closely for the last few weeks, and they were almost ready to present their business plan.

Captain Lance had dealt with the subdued attacker, and he’d recently tracked down the other.  Madelyn’s bruises had healed fairly quickly, although it took a fair amount of effort and makeup to cover them initially. Ray, aided by the nanotech, had made a brilliant recovery – when they returned to work at the beginning of the next week, he was fighting fit. Madelyn had made sure of that herself, giving him a checkup once every week to make sure the nanites had done their job.

That didn’t stop the nightmares, though.

Almost every night, she was forced to relive the attack – with one difference. In the nightmares, Ray never woke. Sometimes he was dead before she reached him, sometimes she watched him die, and sometimes she died with him. The weeks that had passed between then and the second arrest had been awful, knowing that one of the attackers was still out there. They’d targeted Ray, but by intervening she’d made herself a target as well.

And it had dredged up other memories, too.

Ray appeared with coffee, and she thanked him as she took the cup from his hand. In less than an hour, they’d be travelling to Pine City to arrange a deal. Ray had arranged a hotel for the night, and he’d agreed to drive. In the meantime, they went over their plans in Ray’s office.

Papers were spread out all over the table, and Madelyn frowned as she pored over the data.

“Are you alright, Madelyn?”

“I keep thinking we’ve done something wrong…”

“Have you spotted anything yet?”

“Well, no,” she replied.

“Then we should be fine,” he smiled. “You’ve been staring at the plans for almost an hour – you’re gonna give yourself a headache.”

“I want it to be perfect, Ray,” she sighed. “You’ve given me a brilliant opportunity to prove myself and I want to do it properly.”

“Madelyn,” Ray said quietly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You proved yourself the moment you picked up those nanites in my workshop and fixed something I’d failed to fix for weeks.”

Madelyn smiled.

“That reminds me – I need to give you one last quick checkup. Make sure those nanites have done their job.”

Ray sat down, and Madelyn retrieved her tablet from the table. She swiped through to the correct screen, her eyes flicking over the data onscreen.

“There’s nothing to worry about here,” she said. “You’re perfect.”

Ray raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, your health is perfect,” she added hastily. “Anyway, don’t we have to go now?”

Ray nodded.  He picked up his jacket and collected up the papers, striding towards the door. Madelyn trailed behind, cringing at her own awkwardness.

*****

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Ray greeted the group. “As you know, I’m Doctor Palmer. This is my associate Doctor Madelyn Groves, and she’s been instrumental to the planning and production of our newest wave of medical nanotechnology.”

“Our goal with this has been to reduce the price of the technology while improving the quality and efficiency. We want to make medical nanotechnology available for emergency treatment in _all_ hospitals in the area – having seen first-hand what it can do and how much it can help – and we want to be prepared if Star City is targeted again,” Madelyn continued. “We need death tolls reduced, and Palmer Technologies holds the key to doing so.”

Her eyes flicked nervously to Ray, who nodded encouragingly. Beneath the table, he placed a comforting hand on her forearm and gently squeezed. She smiled.

Ray continued the speech, making his way to the projector screen at the front of the room to present their diagrams and blueprints. Madelyn joined him to help explain the medical science behind the technology, somehow managing to make it through the presentation without stumbling over her words. The pair of them took questions at the end of the presentation, and Madelyn found herself answering them with surprising ease.

“Madelyn,” Ray said, collecting up the handouts as everyone left. “You did an incredible job today – you’ve got a lot of people on-board with this project.”

“I have a great mentor.”

“And, more importantly, wit, intelligence, and a lot of untapped potential.”

“Flatterer.”

Ray laughed, and Madelyn couldn’t help but smile.

*****

“What do you mean you only have one room left?” Ray frowned. “I booked two!”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Palmer, but there’s only one on the hotel system.”

“Its fine, Ray,” Madelyn said. “We can share.”

He glanced at Madelyn, then at the receptionist, then Madelyn again. Madelyn nodded.

“Well then,” he said, taking the key. “I guess that’s settled then.”

They walked in awkward silence to their room, and Ray unlocked the door.

“Oh.”

“Oh, indeed.” Madelyn agreed, her eyes falling to the lone double bed in the centre of the room.

“How are we going to—“

“We’re adults, Ray,” Madelyn cut him off. “I guess we’ll have to share the bed too.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she replied, almost too quickly. Ray opened his case, and Madelyn couldn’t help but watch the way his muscles moved beneath his shirt. He threw his tie over the back of the chair, undoing his shirt and casting it aside. Madelyn averted her eyes as Ray undressed, her cheeks warm.

He sat down on the other side of the bed, and Madelyn glanced up at him.

He was wearing a t-shirt, boxers and _absolutely nothing else_.

“Is that…is that how you sleep?”

“Yep,” he replied. “Usually without the t-shirt, but I have company, so…”

“Alright then…” Madelyn said. “I’ll, uh, go get changed.”

Madelyn pulled a pair of pyjamas from her case and shut herself in the bathroom. She changed quickly, then set about untying her hair.

“Wine?” Ray asked when she reappeared.

“Yes, please,” she replied, running a hand through her hair and climbing into the bed.

Ray nodded, pouring out a glass and passing it to her.

“So,” Madelyn sighed. “Long day, huh?”

“That felt like one of the longest meetings I’ve ever sat through…” Ray replied. “You handled it well.”

“I got used to long days in my last job,” she said. “It turns out that serving coffee all day, every day gets real boring, _real_ quick.”

“Fair point,” Ray agreed. “By the way, I meant what I said earlier. You did brilliantly.”

“I’m sure I wasn’t _that_ great…”

“Madelyn, you’re an incredible woman,” he said sincerely. “You’ve excelled at everything that’s been thrown at you, and you’ve picked up an impressive amount of knowledge in an even more impressive timespan. And, you know, you saved my life.”

“But nothing’s ever been enough.”

“Enough for what?” Ray asked, concerned. Madelyn sighed, unlocking her phone and opening a picture of her with a tall, smiling man. She took a large sip of wine before she spoke.

“…He was my best friend,” she said. “He tried to protect me from that…sorcerer….and he couldn’t—he died protecting me. He was a genius, and everyone thought he could change the world. He was perfect, and he died to save me. What have I done to make that worthwhile? Nothing he couldn’t have done better.”

“Oh, Madelyn…”

“I mean, it’s not the same as losing your fiancée, but it still hurts,” she continued, tears welling in her eyes. “And seeing you dying in front of me just brought all of those memories rushing back… I couldn’t lose anyone else like that.”

Ray said nothing, but extended his arm towards her. She shuffled towards him, and he wrapped his arm around her. He set his glass aside, and she did the same. She was exhausted, and the feeling of Ray’s arms around her only served to make her eyelids droop more. She snuggled up against him.

“What was his name?” Ray asked.

“Alistair.”

“He was brave, Madelyn, and so are you,” Ray comforted her. “Alistair may not be with you anymore, but he died protecting something he obviously loved. Like I should’ve…It should’ve been me, not Anna.”

“He was too good for me,” she said. “He’d never love someone like me.”

“Why?” Ray said. “What made you think that?”

“I’ve never been good enough at anything. Good, maybe, but I could always have been better,” she continued. “A better scientist, a better friend, a better _person_ , even.”

“You’ve dedicated everything you have to this project, Madelyn,” Ray replied. “You’re working so, so hard to make sure nobody else has to lose someone the same way we did. I know Alistair wouldn’t have wanted you to wallow in loneliness and self-pity forever, and I doubt Anna ever wanted that for me either.”

“We’re doing this for them.”

“Exactly,” he said. “We’re living our lives and working to change the lives of other people. And Madelyn – don’t you ever think that you’re not good enough for someone. They’d be lucky to have you.”

“You say that, but recently it feels like I’ve been gearing myself up for more disappointment,” she said. “I always want things that are too good for me. And _boy_ is he too good for me.”

“I doubt it.”

“He seems to have everything he wants, and he could have any girl he wants – why would he even consider me?”

“Because, like I’m sure I’ve told you, you’re worth a lot more than you seem to think. And he’d be an idiot not to see that.”

“…he’s definitely not an idiot. Somehow he manages to be both ridiculously gorgeous and ridiculously intelligent.”

“You say that like it’s rare,” Ray laughed.

“I’ve never met anyone quite on his level. Or remotely near…” she said. “He’s kind too – I mean, he’s got more faith in me than I have in myself.”

“You haven’t exactly made that difficult, Madelyn. From what I’ve seen, it’s him that doesn’t deserve you. I just wish you’d have enough faith in yourself to see that you’re, well, incredible.”

“Thanks,” she smiled softly.

“Just remember that, okay?”

Madelyn nodded, carefully wriggling out from underneath Ray’s arm and settling down under the covers.

“Goodnight, Ray.”

*****

Madelyn woke up crying.

She’d had a nightmare, the same as she had almost every night for the past few weeks. Thankfully, she hadn’t managed to wake Ray. He slept quietly beside her, curled up into a little ball.

He was peaceful, and safe, and _alive_.

Madelyn took a deep breath and wiped her tears away, trying to calm herself down. She studied Ray’s face, the way the subtle glow of the moonlight leaking through the curtains illuminated his features. Somehow they’d managed to get closer during the night, and Ray’s hand was only inches from her side. She reached out without thinking to run her fingers down his arm, comforted by the feeling of his warm skin under her fingertips.

Almost imperceptibly, Ray smiled in his sleep.


End file.
